Don't Even Think About It

This is a look inside a small part of The University of Miami (UM) Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, an academic medical center founded in 1952. Beginning March of this year, this entire medical campus is off limit to any smoking whatsoever. This is a great thing that is beginning to take hold in the US.

As of October of this year, at least 2,473 local and/or state/territory/commonwealth hospitals, healthcare systems, and clinics of the US have adopted 100% smoke-free campus grounds policies that protect all employees, visitors, and patients from secondhand smoke exposure within their campuses. Eventually, soon, all of the US' health care facilities will comply with this inexorable trend, I am sure.

Here, the smoke-free guidelines apply to everyone on the UM and Jackson Health System (JHS) medical campus – including employees, faculty, students, patients, family members, visitors, volunteers, contractors, subcontractors, vendors, etc... In other words: You do not light up here. This includes people in the UM and JHS buildings, parking lots and vehicles on the campus.

What you see in this view is the parking area reserved for valet service, which costs $8 after which you can walk to see your doctors. The building on the left houses the Department of Neurological surgery, the division of Hepatology (belonging to the Department of Medicine,) and many other departments.

Across the street is the UHealth hospital that houses more departments and more doctor offices. I told you, this is huge and no matter what your illness is, you will have the best hope for the best care there is at this place.